Paperthin
by TimelessXxX
Summary: Riku is a rising author in search of a muse for his new book. Sora is a young teen with leukemia. When their two worlds collide, the result could be Riku’s new novel but at what cost? RS, LC
1. Suspension

**Paperthin  
**March 2006_  
_

_I want to get to a point, right at the beginning._

_I wasn't always like this; a person who wrote about emotional things, like love, or attachment. I believed in none of that; and no one else around me believed in any of that._

_There's one thing that you have to know before I start this story; Sora, wasn't just any Sora. Not a boy with a girl's name and a pair of startling, clear blue eyes, or just a pretty face in the crowd._

_There's a whole different story behind the face and the smile. Just one thing that I can hold on to now. One thing to remember the boy in the hospital room by._

_Here's the gun; pop it._

**P A R T O N E** - S E C R E T A R Y

"Sir."

Riku glanced up with an irritated frown.

"Kairi…" He muttered warningly. The redhead giggled, raising two hands in a surrendering gesture.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist," she ended with a light giggle.

The silver-haired teen just stared for a few seconds, before his face relaxed in a warm grin.

"That's okay," he whispered, pulling her close. She laughed again as his breath tickled her ear.

"Riku!" She retorted playfully. "Not in your office!" She reached out to tweak his nose.

"Then never call me 'sir' again," he whispered in the same husky voice.

"Yes, Ri-ku," she breathed, eyes fluttering closed at the light, butterfly-like touches on her neck.

He worked his way down her skin, before coming back up to kiss her mouth.

"So what did you come in here for?" He asked softly, voice muffled, as his mouth was pressed against her skin.

"Uhm-"

She pulled herself off of Riku's lap as if it burned, and, flustered, smoothed out her skirt. Riku smirked.

"Well, uh, I just finished your schedule, and I thought I'd bring it in here, so you could, uh, well, see if there're any problems…"

She fingered the end of her blouse, which was left unbuttoned over a light green cami shirt.

"Okay, thank you, Kairi," he said smoothly, picking up the folder.

The redhead blushed. After a brief, awkward silence, she suddenly uttered, "…Sorry. It's just that, you know, I want to keep 'us' out of work, because of the policies and… well, you know…"

"Yeah, I know," Riku grinned. "Sorry; I just couldn't resist."

Kairi blushed again. "I… I liked it though. Maybe we could… do it again sometime?"

She peeked up at him through a curtain of fiery red hair. The aqua-eyed boy nodded with a small smile.

"I'd like that," he said softly.

**P A R T T W O** – H O S P I T A L

"Sora? You have a visitor."

The brunette boy looked up from the sketchbook he was holding in his hand, dropping his pencil onto the sheets beside him.

The nurse entered the room, followed by a small girl in a yellow sundress.

"Sora!" She rushed forward to hug him, but Sora found that the strength behind the hug wasn't as fierce or tight as it would normally be.

"Selphie!" he pulled back with a grin. "Hey!"

The girl bounced on the balls of her feet. "Oh man! Everyone was worried about you when you didn't call this time after your seizure!"

Sora winced. "Yeah, I guess I forgot to… Heh. Sorry." He grinned, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

Selphie frowned, punching him in the arm. "You goof," she shot playfully at the boy. Sora pouted.

"I said I was sorry!" Sora cried, rubbing at his arm. "Ouch," he muttered, pouting.

Selphie's eyes widened. "Oh! Wait, did I hit you too hard? I know your mom said that-"

Sora waved her off. "Stop," he whined, "Everyone's babying me and asking if I'm alright… Not you too, Selph!"

The girl frowned. "Okay… But we're all just worried about you! You're getting more and more seizures, and you've lost so much weight-"

This time it was Sora's turn to punch the girl. "Selph," he warned in his deepest voice, which was, considering the fact that it was **Sora**, wasn't very deep at all. "You're sounding just like my mom now."

Selphie pushed at him playfully. "Hey!" She exclaimed. "And besides, it's not nice to hit girls."

The two teens laughed before descending into play squabbles, their bright exclamations ringing clear down the hospital halls.

**P A R T T H R E E** – D E A D L I N E S

"Your book is due in **four months**, _Riku_. You have to pull it together, or else this'll all-"

"Mom," the teen interrupted, causing the woman to pause mid-rant. She sighed, running a slender hand through long silver locks.

"Riku, look, I'm just saying that-"

"Mom, I know. You've told me already; and I have it all covered."

In reality, he really had no fucking clue what he was going to do with the book that was set to be published in four months. They had already released the title; Paperthin. …Their only problem was that Riku had yet to write one chapter for the novel.

The woman stared at him with a mixed expression of frustration and anger. Maybe there was a _little_ bit of empathy there too, but Riku doubted it.

The day that he received any other emotion that wasn't negatively charged from his mother was the day he would most likely get up on the table and start break-dancing. He was already halfway there, since his friend Reno had taught him how to break-dance. However, since he was afraid of heights (yes, even standing on a table would suffice to evoke that fear), that was likely to never happen.

"Mom…" he said again, warning. "I'm fine. Honestly. Now can you leave, please? I'm trying to work."

The woman threw up her hands in defeat. "Fine. Whatever. But remember when everything crashes that I told-"

"Mom," he cut in, harshly. "Door. Out. Now."

As soon as the door slammed shut, rattling the few framed photos on the wall, he slumped back down in his chair. Swiveling around in a few circles, he lazily traced a few letters on his desk.

_Kairi_, he wrote, adding the little flourish that she always included when signing her name. This little eccentric and childish detail about his girlfriend made him smile, just like the way she always hated ketchup because it reminded her of mud, but always loved to go out dancing in the rain and mud during every thunderstorm.

His dirty little secret; that was Kairi for Riku. No one would ever know what happened between them two.

He started up his laptop, taping his fingers idly as the machine whirred to life, taking but a few seconds before the welcome screen popped up. A little ding alerted him to a new email, but he ignored it, opening up his story.

He stared and the few idle ideas that he had offhandedly typed, and deleted everything. Then, biting his lip, he started typing again, and the air was filled with the sound of keys being tapped in rapid succession.

Yes, Riku was confident that this would all work out.

**P A R T F O U R** – B L I T Z B A L L

Sora guessed that being sick with cancer wasn't all completely bad as he licked his triple-fudge ice cream cone, eyes closing with bliss and leaning back against the pillows in his bed.

"I've never seen anyone enjoy ice cream like he does," stated a voice from Sora's right. He turned, opening his bright blue eyes.

"Mmm! Tidus, this ice cream's really good… Get some for yourself!" He whined.

Tidus crossed his arms. "Nope. I'm saving my allowance for Yuna's birthday gift. She's turning 15 in a week, and she wants this Kelly Clarkson CD really badly…"

Sora shrugged, continuing to eat his ice. "Your loss," he said between licks. Tidus stared for a second or two, before grabbing Sora's cone out of his hands.

"Hey!" Sora pouted, grabbing for his frozen-and-now-melting treat.

"Nyahh," Tidus stuck his tongue out at Sora, and took a big bite out of the cone.

"Mmm- ACK!" Tidus shoved the ice cream away, sucking at his teeth and clenching his head. "Brain freeze," he muttered under his breath. "Damnit."

"Serves you right, you big pig," Selphie poked Tidus in the stomach, causing the boy to grasp his abdomen in mock agony.

"You're calling **me** a pig?" He asked, looking incredulously at the five-scoop tall cone of ice cream that Selphie was working on.

The girl shrugged.

"Of course. It's not like you think I'm fat or anything, right?" She smiled sweetly, but something in her green eyes flashed dangerously, warning Tidus that the best option in this situation was to nod and grin.

"Yeah, yeah, Selph," Sora punched her in the arm.

The girl stuck out her tongue at him.

"So… Has Cloud gotten to you about the new blitzball teams?" Tidus asked, leaning forward eagerly.

Sora frowned sadly, fingering the edge of his blanket. "Nah… He told me at the last game last year that he doesn't think I should play this year… Something about me being a great player, but undependable with my… _disability_ and everything…"

Selphie made a sympathetic noise, and Tidus scrunched up his nose. "Aww man!" He cried, slapping his chair distractedly. "Without you on the team this year, we're really gonna suck now!"

"What about you and Wakka? Now's your year for the spotlight," Sora said with a small grin. It was common knowledge that Sora **owned** the school at blitzball, but the captain, Cloud, who was still a senior himself, was very serious about the team. Sora wasn't surprised when the blonde pulled him over last year and told him not to try out.

Tidus and Wakka were pretty good at blitzball, and Sora was honestly glad that they were getting the chance to finally shine. He told himself that, deep down, he was **not** a bit green with envy.

"It won't be the same without you, Sora," Tidus said, although the brunette could see the part of him that was psyched at the opportunity to finally show everyone his skill.

Sora forced a smile, although deep down inside, he knew that it just wouldn't be the same.

**P A R T F I V E** - L E O N

Yuna's birthday came and went, and the doctor's still hadn't confirmed if Sora could be released from the hospital from his latest seizure.

All his friends were worried; he'd never been hospitalized for longer than a week.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Tidus asked worriedly, arms crossed.

"Ya. The first game is coming up this Saturday, ya." Wakka added, shaking his head. "Cloud's been so stressed out without you there."

Sora felt a guilty twinge of satisfaction that the team was suffering from his absence, but immediately suppressed it.

"Aww, man, I'll be out by then, don't worry." Sora winked.

Selphie sighed. "Yeah, yeah, you said that two days ago… What's taking them so long?"

Sora bit his lip. His mother had come into his room a few days ago to inform him that the doctor's were having complications with his bone marrow samples.

It wasn't too serious, she had quickly assured him. She just said they were having problems. Again, Sora wondered if everyone was leaving stuff out just to ease his mind.

"…ello? Hellooo? Sora, you with us here?"

The brunette blinked, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

"Uhm, yeah," he said, grinning. He leaned back. "So, what's happening in school nowadays?"

Selphie shrugged. "Not much… You know that delinquent that dropped out of school for a year?"

Sora frowned. "Uh… not really… Our school's pretty clean from all the – Squall!"

Tidus nodded. "Yeah, but now he dyed his hair brown and changed his name, too. It's Leon now."

Sora blinked. "I thought he was a senior," he said, eyebrows furrowing.

"He _was_ a senior," Wakka corrected. "But he dropped out for a year, and was home-schooled… and now, they want him to repeat senior year."

"Ouch," Sora winced. "That must suck."

"Only for nerds like you," Tidus teased.

"Leon now, huh?" Soar smiled a little. "I can't really see him with brown hair."

"I think it looks better this way," Selphie sighed, smiling a little dreamily. "Now I don't know which fan club to join; the one for Cloud or the one for Squall-er, Leon."

"Why'd he change his name, anyway?" Sora asked. "I mean, I didn't really know the guy; always glaring at me whenever I said hi to him in the halls."

"People say he did something really nasty back last year," Tidus whispered, as if there was someone else in the room that they needed to whisper around. "He did something totally bad and then just disappeared. Didn't come to school or anything… and Quitis says he's running from the police."

Selphie scoffed. "Yeah, right. Only you'd believe those rumors. But anyway, he now gets really mad if you call him Squall, and keeps correcting people."

Wakka nodded. "Yeah. He's so creepy. Dunno what he was doing in that year he took off school."

"Rehab, maybe?" Tidus suggested.

The three descended into discussion, leaving Sora to quietly ponder the now brunette's new image.

"What did he do last year that got him kicked out?" He suddenly asked. Selphie shrugged.

"They say he murdered someone." Tidus nodded.

"Yeah… And then someone said he killed a _police officer_. Scary, huh?" Wakka winced.

"You don't really believe that, ya, Tidus?"

The blonde boy shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, it's pretty scary to think about."

"Whatever, it's just gossip," Selphie waved her hand. "It doesn't change the fact that he's just so _hot_."

Sora rolled his eyes.

**P A R T S I X ** - C O N C E R T

"Hey, I got you tickets," Riku said as he leaned down to steal a quick kiss.

Kairi's face broke into a grin.

"For who?" She asked hopefully, trying to eye the two slips he held in his hand.

He grinned craftily, flashing his teeth at the redhead, who gave an involuntary shiver at the predatory look.

"Mae," he whispered.

The redhead squealed before leaping into the silver-haired teen's arms, not caring who saw. Screw them, it was after-hours anyway.

"Yes! Tonight?" She asked, eyes glowing. He nodded, grinning back. "Seven. We can head straight there if you want; it's already five."

Kairi frowned. "But I need to get ready!" She complained. Riku shrugged.

"I think you look fine just the way you are," he said, blatantly looking her over.

Kairi suppressed a blush, and instead turned back to the computer, saving whatever she was working on and shutting it down.

"Can we stop by my place for a while? I swear I'll be really quick when I change."

Riku rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you will, baby. Let me just get my coat."

She nodded, and Riku turned to walk into his office.

As he swiped his jacket off the table, a note fluttered to the floor. Frowning, he bent to pick it up, absently tucking silver hair behind his ear as he did so.

His eyes narrowed as he read over the words in the yellow Post-It.

'_Riku,_

_I hope you didn't make any plans for tonight. I just got news from the hospital about your father. They just discovered a new tumor in his brain. They want us there when they perform the surgery. _

_Be there around 8._

_Alexis'_

Riku crumpled up the note. His mother always signed notes with just her first name. Never _Love Mom_, or _Take Care, Sweetie._ Not that he would want that.

Just…

Sighing, he aimed it at the trash can. Damnit, and just when he was staring to make progress with Kairi…

He stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut. Kairi was wrapping a plaid scarf around her throat, letting it drop over her shoulder.

"Ready?" She asked.

Riku sighed. "I just got a note from my mom," he said darkly.

"…" Kairi frowned.

"…Does she know…?" She asked tentatively.

Riku shook his head. "She doesn't know about you. But… she said they found a new tumor growing in _his_ brain. He's getting surgery tonight, and she wants me there."

Kairi's eyes widened. "Is he okay?" she asked, face concerned. She hadn't really ever met Riku's father, but he had told her about him. From what she heard, Riku really looked up to him. Riku grinned a little, taking advantage of her worried state to lean against her shoulder.

"Yeah… but I might have to leave in the middle of the concert," he said. Kairi waved it off.

"Oh, no, go ahead! I understand. Do you want me to go with you?"

Riku shook it off. "Nah. You go enjoy the show for me, and tell me all about it, okay? Just do go cheating on me with the hot guy sitting next to you."

Kairi blushed indignantly. "I wouldn't do that, you prick!" she playfully swatted his arm.

Riku chuckled lightly before sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her down the hallway.

"R-Riku? What a-are you doing? Put, haha, me down! I can, ah, walk!"

They both descended into giggles, the happy couple soon walking out of the building and into the sunlight.

The loud chattering of the crowd was overwhelming as the two stepped into the hall.

Kairi was dressed in sinfully tight clothes, and Riku still wore his dress shirt and a loose tie. However, the look was sophisticated, and he stood out sharply against all the other guys there in their ripped jeans-gold chained ensembles.

"Oh my God," Kairi whispered to Riku, giggling a little off the excitement. "I didn't even know they were coming here!"

Riku smirked. "Surprise," he drawled, leading her to their seats. Since he had bought them that very afternoon, they weren't exactly the best seats. However, it was surprising how far a little cash can get people to change.

They sat down, comfortably leaning against the squishy seats.

Suddenly, the crowd roared to life as the band walked onto the stage and started tuning.

"This place is pretty crowded," Kairi muttered, glancing around at the packed seats. "I didn't know so many people liked them."

Riku just snorted playfully, running and hand through her hair.

The crowd slowly stopped its noise, and the band started to play without any intro.

_Lately I'm alright and lately I'm not scared  
I've figured out, that what you do to me feels like  
I'm floating on air._

Here, the crowd cheered. Riku worked his hand over to Kairi's, and she blushed before entwining their fingers. Riku smiled softly.

_I don't need to know right now, all I know is I believe,  
in the very thing that got us here, and now I can't leave._

"I can't believe it's actually Mae," Kairi whispered. "I've wanted to go see them in concert for so long!"

Riku laughed, and the guy sitting next to him quickly shushed him. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Riku leaned in close to the redhead's ear.

"I know… And I'm glad that we're sharing it together," he whispered. The girl blushed, shifting a little in her seat.

Maybe Riku was coming on a bit intense. The boy lessened the pressure on her fingers, before relaxing completely as if to let go.

Suddenly, her hand tightened around his, holding on firmly. He turned, surprised.

She just smiled shyly.

_Say anything, but say what you mean;   
cause I'm caught in suspension._

**P A R T S E V E N** - M E E T I N G

Riku slowly opened the car door, staring up at the yellow fluorescent lights outside the hospital. It was a sight he was hoping he'd never have to see ever again; save one more time; when they were taking him back home.

He jingled his keys a little, stalling. Glancing at his watch, he saw it was 8:05. His mother wouldn't be happy. Oh well.

Realizing that he couldn't delay seeing his father any longer, he locked the doors and set off at a brisk walk. The air was nice and cool at night now, and he couldn't help but resist a glance at the stars.

"Say anything, but say what you mean…" Riku murmured under his breath, the songs from the concert now stuck in his head. "…when you whisper you want this…"

The elevator ride up was silent. There was no one else around in the hallways, and he walked down the hallway after the elevator dinged, slightly put off by the eerie silence.

His steps were familiar with the laminated floor tiling, and he knew the door that would open to reveal his father lying on the bed. The sight rather disgusted him, in some odd way.

However, before he could open the door, it burst open and his mother walked through.

"Riku!" She gasped in surprise, before retaining her calm. "Riku," she repeated. "You're late." Her tone was flat.

"Where's dad?" He tried peering around her shoulder, but she effectively blocked it.

"Down on level 3," she replied. "They wheeled him down a few minutes ago."

With that, she swung the door closed and walked away, expecting him the follow, which he did with a resigned sigh.

The ride down was, if possible, even more silent than the ride up, even though there were now two people inside. However, his mother stood stock still in one corner, and it seemed as if she weren't even breathing.

The elevator finally dinged, and the silver-haired teen let out a sigh of relief.

However, he wasn't expecting to bump into someone as the doors opened, and he felt something warm and wet slosh down the front of his shirt.

"Oh! Oh, my God. I'm so sorry!" He blinked as a girl holding a cup of coffee stared at his shirt in horror. He followed her gaze to the huge brown stain running all over the front of his dress shirt.

His mother looked on with disgust, before walking out. "Get that cleaned up, Riku. Then you have to come fill in some forms for him. Room 312."

The girl looked close to tears. "It's okay," he said, trying to placate her. "It's just a uh…" he glanced at his shirt again. "Just a small stain."

The girl smiled weakly, glancing down at the now almost empty cup. "Here, I have some stuff you can use to clean up in my bag. Just follow me…"

"It's okay. I'll just go to the bathroom," he said. The girl frowned.

"No, no, no! Come on." And with that, the boy was dragged away behind the marching brunette.

_We are gaining speed, I can barely breathe… Cause we're caught in suspension…_

The door to Sora's room burst open, and the brunette jerked awake.

Tidus stood up, thinking that it was doctor or a nurse coming with urgent news. Upon seeing Selphie standing in the doorway, panting, and not to mention with a death grip on a stranger's wrist, Tidus scowled.

"Selphie-!"

"Heh, sorry Sora… did I wake you up?" The girl asked.

The boy sitting in the bed, Sora, Riku guessed, grinned and shook his head 'no,' although anyone with half a brain could see the poor guy was exhausted.

There was a blonde boy next to Sora, who was scowling at Selphie… and at him.

"Oh, and my bad… Sora, Tidus, this is… uh…"

Selphie turned, realizing that she didn't know his name.

"Riku." He quickly supplied.

"Right. Riku, this is Sora, and Tidus." Selphie gestured at the two in turn, who upon introduction switched expressions immediately to friendly.

"Hey," Sora said, smiling shyly. His smile reminded Riku of Kairi's.

"Yo," Tidus grinned. "What poor turn of fate has caused Selphie to drag you here?"

Riku smiled a little, and moved to stand out of Selphie's shadow. Thus, the large, brown, quickly-drying stain was revealed.

"Oh, Selph!" Sora laughed. "You spilled on someone _again_?"

The girl shrugged modestly. "Hey! It's why I keep special wipes in my bag." She winked at Riku, who grimaced.

Tidus peered into the almost empty cup that Selphie had set on the table. "Ugh. And I guess you forgot to refill the cup?"

The girl pivoted, glaring. "Hey! I thought it'd be best to clean up poor Riku here first. He was about to go into those ugly man-toilet places to clean up."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "…Man-toliet…?"

Tidus rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Don't even **ask**. She has a thing about the public guy bathrooms."

"No stalls!" Selphie threw her hands up in the air, consequently launching the pack of towelette wipes toward the silver-haired teen. Riku easily snatched it out of the air.

"Whoa, Dude." Tidus leaned back, impressed. "You play ay blitzball?"

"On occasion," Riku replied, ripping open the pack and taking out a damp paper towel.

"Man, you're almost as good as Sora." Tidus muttered. "But of course, no one can beat Sora at blitzball."

Riku raised an eyebrow, looking at the brunette sitting in bed, who was currently blushing. "Tidus…" Sora warned.

Riku shrugged, smiling. "I guess I'll have to play you sometime, eh?"

Sora blinked, and turned towards Riku. "Definitely." Then he smiled.

Riku then turned his attention to his shirt. "Man, this thing really works," he said, looking in amazement at the soaked through brown towelette. He then studied the packet. However, it was just plain white, with no lettering or brand on it.

"Where'd you get these…?"

Selphie grinned, winking. "It's a secret. If everyone knew, then everyone would have them, and that, Riku, would just not be cool."

Everyone in the room laughed.

"I want coffee," Tidus whined, and Riku looked at him.

"I'll get it," Selphie offered. "Since, you know, I spilled it and all."

Riku shook his head. "It's fine. I'll get it; I want some coffee as well, anyway. Tidus, come with me? You have to tell me how you like your coffee."

Tidus blinked, but took the hint. The door closed as the two left.

"Question time again," Sora sighed. "It's always the same… What's wrong with Sora? He seems perfectly healthy. Why's he in the hospital?"

Selphie slapped him lightly. "Come on, Sora. Stop thinking like that. People are just worried."

"Nosy, more like it," the brunette muttered. Then he sighed. "…Yeah. I guess you're right. I… I guess I'm just all wound up about be stuck in a room 24/7. It's been like… 2 weeks!"

Selphie frowned. "That's right. And before, it's never been longer than a week. What's going on? I saw your parents talking to you after we'd been shooed out."

Sora winced. "Sorry about that. Heh."

Selphie raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. She clearly was waiting for an answer.

"Come on, Selph. It's complicated… The whole process… thing." He waved his arms around a little, frustrated at the lack of a proper term.

"The tests?" Selphie asked, concerned.

"Uh, yeah," Sora frowned a little. "They're having some problems determining exactly how bad it's getting now… They're thinking surgery might have to happen."

_Now I'm wanting this for sure, and I'll beg for nothing more…_

"What's wrong with Sora? Why's he in the hospital?" Riku asked as soon as they were out of the door.

Tidus stiffened a little, before sighing.

"Everyone who doesn't really know him that well always asks that when he's in the hospital after one of his seizures…"

"Seizures?" Riku asked.

Tidus nodded. "Sora… Sora has leukemia."

Riku frowned. "…But… I didn't know you had seizures with leukemia."

Tidus shrugged. "Well. Now you do."

Riku was silent as they walked to the coffee table, and they both reached for a cup.

"How long has he had cancer?" Riku asked quietly.

"For about a year. He's been in and out of school… Mostly because of the seizures. But this time he's been here for almost two weeks… It's seems to be getting worse. His parents are really worried."

"My dad has cancer, too."

It was quiet, except for the sound of the cups filling with coffee; Riku decaf and Tidus regular.

"Leukemia?"

"No… They found a tumor in his brain. They got it removed… and then he came home for a while. But I guess they found another one a few days ago… He's in surgery right now."

"Now? As in… now now?"

Riku nodded.

_RIIP_

The sugar packet was poured into his coffee.

They stood there, staring at the floor, their cups, the walls; anything but each other.

"So I guess we're both dealing with the same thing."

"No… not really," Tidus said, smiling a little. "Sora's not family… Although sometimes… I kinda think he his."

"You're close?"

Tidus grinned. "Best friends. Sora, Selphie, Wakka and I have been ever since pre-K."

"Wakka…?"

Tidus shook his head. "He had to do something tonight, although he's usually here with us. All Sora does all day is sleep, sleep and sleep…"

Riku frowned, thoughts going back to his head.

_Sleep, sleep, and sleep…_

They started walking back, occasionally sipping their coffees. Riku nuzzled his nose inside the Styrofoam brim, feeling the heat radiating off of the liquid.

"When your dad…"

Riku glanced up as Tidus broke off, staring off into the distance. Riku followed his gaze, but saw nothing.

"…Tidus?"

The blonde blinked. "Ugh…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I keep seeing things. Hah, must be going crazy."

He grinned. "Come on. Let's hurry back."

_I can't seem to stop this now, even if it's not so clear, and I'll take what I can get… if you want me here…_

Selphie gasped. "No…"

Sora smiled a little. "Yeah… I know. It's really-"

He never got to finish, as Selphie was around him in a big, tight bear hug.

He felt something wet, and turned his head a little. The girl's eyes were squeezed tightly shut, although he could see the wet tears trailing down her face and into the crook of his neck.

"…You said that it wasn't serious… When you told us about the cancer… "

Sora frowned, blinking a little.

"I… I just-"

"…You said it'd go away… I…"

Sora felt something rise up in his own eyes. Oh God. Was he about to cry? He hadn't cried, ever, since the third grade.

Ugh, he hated it when seeing other people cry made **him** cry.

"I… You said that… that…"

She trailed off. Sora bit his lip, before hesitantly bringing a hand up to rub her back soothingly.

"I… know. Sorry. But, they said that it might not come to that… As long as the seizures stop…"

She just sniffed again, and he smiled a little.

They sat there like that, for God knows how long, just rocking and shushing and rocking some more, and they got into a comfortable pattern that you can only get when you really just need to feel someone around you after you cry.

And that's how Riku and Tidus found the two when they came back into the room; asleep, with dried tear tracks coursing down both of their cheeks.

_Say anything, but say what you mean... when you whisper you want this..._

**AN - ohh man... this was so HARD to write!  
please tell me what you think.  
I wish i could have developed it more.. oh well. :) **

** it's not editted.**

**review! please. :3 **


	2. Suspension II

_When you see a teenager that's sick with leukemia sitting in their hospital bed, smiling, you start to think; why did I used to think I had it bad?_

_You start thinking, and you realize; you've been incredibly selfish. _

_Who cares that your girlfriend won't let you bang her, or you have writer's block on a book that's supposed to be your second bestseller after the fake that was your first, or your dad's getting some crapass surgery when he's already 50 and wasted half his life already on drugs?_

_Sora's still in **high school**. There's so much more that could happen, and to be honest; I think it scares me more than I can imagine._

_Leukemia?_

_Hurts more than getting hot coffee spilled on ya, that's for sure._

**P A R T O N E** - M E E T I N G

"Riku! Riku!"

The silver-haired boy turned slightly to see two heads; one brunette, one blonde, bobbing their way through the crowds towards where he was standing.

Selphie and Tidus, as it turned out to be.

"Hey!" Selphie called, breathless. "We were screaming at you for three minutes, but you couldn't hear us."

Riku laughed. "Hey. Imagine seeing you again. How's Sora?"

Tidus frowned. "He's still in the hospital… but we're holding out for him to be back in school soon. Bought him some food."

He held up a bag of Chick-fil-A.

"Uh… You can eat that stuff in the hospital?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow.

Selphie laughed nervously. "Uhm… You won't tell anyone, will you?"

The teen author laughed it off. "Nah. So, whatcha guys doing here?" He glanced around the mall, which was crowded with weekend shoppers.

"Well, we came with Wakka and Yuna, Tidus' girlfriend." Selphie looked around. "But… we kinda lost 'em."

Tidus winced. "Yeah… But hey! Wanna come with us? We're headed to see Sora next."

Riku shrugged. "Okay, sure. My mom kinda wants me to see how dad's doing anyway."

Apparently Tidus had filled Selphie in on their little chat while getting coffee, as the girl just nodded in understanding.

"Okay! Now, all we have to do is find them…"

"Who, again?"

Tidus grinned. "Oh, Wakka and Yuna. You'll love 'em both, I swear."

Selphie scrunched up her nose. "Yeah, Wakka is the coolest guy _ever_," she said.

The silver-haired teen didn't miss how Selphie had 'deliberately forgotten' to compliment Yuna, or how Tidus had winced, afterwards.

**P A R T T W O** – P R A C T I C E

Cloud frowned, glaring up at the dark, grey sky above him.

It was late autumn, bordering on early winter, and lately the weather just didn't want to cooperate with his schedule.

"Alright. Team!" The blond called, and the scattered conversations stopped as all attention was turned and focused on him.

"We have a game coming up this weekend, and we have to pull it together. We are seriously lacking in offense-"

A black-haired boy, sitting in the back, spoke up. "Why isn't Sora here?" He called.

Cloud blinked, realizing that someone had just interrupted him in the middle of one of his talks. **No one** interrupted him in the middle of one of his talks.

"Excuse me?" The blonde asked, straightening from his earlier position, which was best described as a half-hunch, half-crouch.

"I said," the boy repeated slowly, "why isn't Sora here?"

Cloud glanced at Tidus and Wakka, two boys which Cloud knew were close to Sora. They didn't make any move to say anything, save exchange a glance between themselves.

"That is none of your business," Cloud replied, albeit a tad harshly. "What _is_ your business, Fedors, is how to focus your skills in ways that will best benefit the team-"

"We don't have a team, Coach," the boy drawled, once again interrupting the blond—which, as previously established, was **not** done--, "without Sora."

Cloud's eyes flashed.

"Hey Erik, I think you'd be better off just backing down now," a boy next to him whispered. "Cloud's mad now."

"Damn straight," Cloud hissed. "_Okay_. I think it's time we had a power talk here. I, _not you_, Fedors, am the coach of this team. Means I can kick your ass around however much I want here, if you want to stay on this team. It also means that you _do not_ interrupt me with bull about our team not being able to perform solely from the absence of **one player**. **One player** does not make a team. Understand?"

Erik Fedors, senior 12th grade, now a veteran on the blitzball team, nodded, although his mouth was set in a harsh line. "Yes." Cloud's glared intensified. "Sir."

There was a brief moment of utmost tension, before the blond coach sighed. "Okay. Now get warmed up. 20 laps around, full circle."

There was mumbled protest, although many were already heaving sighs and rising to their feet, bouncing a little on their toes.

"The hell are you waiting for? Get going!" Cloud watched as many a dirty look was shot his way, and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Fuck, I don't think I can do this," he muttered. As much as he hated to admit it, Fedors was sadly correct in his assumption that without Sora, their team might as well resign ahead of time. They were nothing right now.

"Nothing," he repeated, grinding his heel into the dirt. "Nothing." Eyes narrowed as he watched the boys run, pursing his lips pensively.

It couldn't get too much worse, the blond realized. Not unless it decided to rain.

**P A R T T H R E E** – R A I N

"Oh, fuck."

Sora looked up as Tidus hopped in on one foot, drenched to the bone. Not far behind him was Wakka, as equally soaked in water as Tidus was.

"Whoa. Is it raining outside?" Sora asked.

"No, Sora, it's not," Tidus replied amiably. "We just decided it'd be fun to dunk ourselves in the toilets."

Sora frowned, trying to figure out if they were being sarcastic or not. Knowing the two, there was a great possibility that they two were completely serious.

However, when Selphie walked in behind them, also dripping, and with a murderous expression painted on her face with her new, expensive, and _wet_ Jimmy Choos dangling in one hand, Sora guessed that it was indeed raining.

"Oh… Well, I think my mom keeps a blow-dryer in her bag, don't ask me why, but-"

"No need," a voice intoned, and Sora's eyes widened.

Riku, and more importantly, a very**_ dry_** Riku, grinned cockily at him from the doorway, lugging a huge radiator along with him.

"Uhm…"

Riku laughed. "I, unlike them, thought to bring an umbrella. But anyway, here's the radiator from the lobby, although I think the receptionist will want it back soon. I just told her I wanted to borrow it."

Wakka laughed. "Cool, ya. Total hottie, 'ight?"

Tidus wrinkled his nose. "If you're into the whole FOB vibe."

The blonde finally settled his weight between both his feet. "We wouldn't be wet if Coach didn't make us run five extra laps because of Fedors," he muttered. "Everyone knew that the storm was coming in at 5:30, and he just _had_ to keep us till 5:40."

"What'd Erik do?" Sora asked, curiosity evident in his eyes.

"Oh man, you wouldn't believe it," Tidus launched into a long explanation with vigor. "Coach was all up his ass when Erik told him that without you, the team was a goner. Of course, it's kinda true. But 'neways, Cloud gave us all a huge talk about how he was in control and stuff, and then was a total bitch the rest of practice. He only let us out when it really started to rain."

"And then they ran into me on the sidewalk," Riku cut in smoothly.

Selphie laughed. "Yeah, and then they're all trying to duck under Riku's umbrella—it was hilarious!"

Sora frowned. "Riku? You let them?" The silver haired teen shrugged. "I was just taking a walk."

"In the rain." Sora deadpanned.

"Yes."

Sora guessed the teen's smile was pleasant enough, but he didn't really want to decipher the messages burning behind it. It was a weird feeling that rumbled inside of him when Riku shot him a look.

"Okay! New subject—wait. How did Selphie get here then?"

"Well," Selphie waved a hand, now prepping herself to explain. "You see, I was driving by—of course, only in the junkass Toyota—and they're about to get run over by cars, cuz they're in the middle of the road and stuff. Sooo…"

Here she paused, obviously for effect.

"So… I kinda feel bad for them, and I let them in my car… But then Tidus, of course, wants to drive, even though he doesn't know how-"

Here was interrupted by a vehemently protesting Tidus, to which Selphie retorted with just as much force.

"-And then the car dies. And, look! My new wedges. We had to walk, and it was only a block away from the hospital, so we just decided to come visit you."

"And you all just dragged Riku along?" Sora asked.

Riku laughed. "Exactly. But hey, I'm not complaining. I'm not wet."

"Yeah, cause you took the umbrella all for yourself," Selphie whined.

Riku glanced at her, bewildered. "Hey, it _was_ my umbrella, you know!"

Selphie just stuck her tongue out at him.

From what sounded like miles away, Wakka's voice drifted over to where everyone else was congregated around Sora's bed. "Uh, how do you work this thing?" They all turned towards the radiator—and the person bent double behind it--which was making weird gassy noises—the radiator, not the person.

"Fuck!"

There was a jingle of metal on metal, before the radiator made a loud groan and stopped making noises altogether.

"Good job, Einstein," Selphie muttered, shivering.

**P A R T F O U R** – L E O N

Leon rubbed the bridge of his nose, inhaling and exhaling deeply before slouching down further in his seat.

"Mr. Leonhart, please refrain from slouching in my class. And while you're busy fixing your posture, you might want to get to work on the assignment as well."

The brunet pursed his lips before obeying the teacher, straightening back up. However, Leon-once-Squall did not start to work on his assignment because, at that very moment, something hit his forehead.

Annoyed, he glanced down at the paper airplane, on which was scrawled, "OPEN ME!" and then, in very tiny writing--since the airplane was not in fact very large in size—"Not in that way, Squall. I know what you're thinking."

Leon sighed. What else was he to expect from Seifer?

Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Leon opened up the miniature origami—maybe origami was too sophisticated for the plane; it was, in fact, not delicate or any way beautiful like origami was supposedly intended to be—and frowned as steely grey eyes skimmed over the text.

In reply, he crumpled up the airplane and threw it at the short-haired blonde.

"Mr. Leonhart!" Leon turned startled eyes towards Mrs. Trepe, who was staring down at him over thin-rimmed glasses. "I will not warn you again. Start working."

Aware of the look that was being shot his way by Seifer—half amused, and half—well, it was all 100 amused—Leon glanced down at the paper he was supposedly turning in at the end of the period. No way was he going to finish this. _No fucking way_.

"Leon." The brunet blinked and glanced up as two calm, stunningly blue eyes came into view.

He felt something brush against his arm, and he glanced down at the paper that had been slid gently onto his desk, completely finished in neat, tiny print.

"No," he heard himself say, and glanced back at Cloud Strife, whose face didn't change in the least at his reply.

Cloud raised a thin, golden eyebrow.

"I…" Leon pursed his lips, searching for something to say. Damnit, he wasn't good with talking. "I don't need your help," he said finally, glancing back into Strife's eyes.

"Help? Tch, I'm not _helping_ you. I'm stuck in detention for the next month or so…" He trailed off a little, as if musing over the whole absurd idea of him, Cloud Strife, in detention for a whole month. "…So, if you don't finish that paper this period," Cloud continued after his brief interlude of thought, "Trepe's gonna land your ass in detention, and then I'll be stuck washing chalkboards with your fucking Majesty."

Leon's eyes narrowed, and he abruptly turned away. "Fuck off, Strife," he muttered lowly, dangerously.

Cloud's mouth twitched a little into what could be called a smile. "Fine."

**P A R T F I V E** - D E T E N T I O N

"Soo… Would you boys mind telling me why you're here?" Quitis Trepe, age 27 and counting, leaned over her desk to peer into two pairs on noncommittal eyes. The blue eyes, wide and innocent, peered back at her. She could _see_ the little halo of golden innocence hovering above his head.

…Or maybe that was his hair.

But whatever.

She turned her gaze to the other boy, eyes staring at some distant point, grey-blue eyes hidden by shaggy brown hair.

"Leon."

He shifted a little before glancing up at his blonde teacher.

"Instructor."

"Why do you think you're here _again_, Mr. Leonhart?" Quitis questioned.

"…"

She sighed, a hand reaching up unconsciously to rub her temples. "Okay." Her eyes snapped open, fixing pointedly on Squall. "What were you doing in class that sent you to detention?"

Squall frowned. "I didn't finish my paper," he deadpanned.

Quitis frowned, poised on the edge of her seat. "And…"

"And then I called you a bitch."

The blonde, spiky-haired boy seemed to be choking back an amused chuckle.

The teacher nodded, satisfied. "Okay. Now I want you to sit here and finish your assignment. Understood?"

Squall nodded briefly.

"Good. Now Cloud."

"Yes, Instructor?"

"You've been here for about a week now; want to continue where you left off yesterday?" She held up a grey metal pail of soapy water and a dirty sponge.

Cloud let out a long sigh.

"Yes, Ma'am."

_This is gonna be fun_, he thought bitterly.

**P A R T S I X ** - S U R P R I S E

"Surprise."

Sora glanced up, eyes wide. He dropped his pencil and sketchbook in favor of grinning.

"Riku!" He sat up.

"Hey. I heard you were getting out today." The silver haired boy hesitated. "Can I come in?"

Sora rolled his eyes. "Duh. Come on, who told you?"

Riku let the rest of his body in, and Sora grinned at the large bundle of flowers that Riku set beside his bed.

"Selphie. Talked my ear off, and then just about wrangled every bit of personal information I had from me. Almost got my social security number, too."

Sora wrinkled his nose. "Did she use her I-can't-trust-you-around-our-little-Sora-if-I-don't-know-you're-completely-trustworthy act again?" Riku grinned.

"Yeah. That's it exactly."

Sora pouted. "Ugh! I'm older than her, too," he muttered.

Riku just shrugged. "I guess it just works every time," he stated with a small laugh.

"Apparently," the brunet muttered, until his eyes landed on the flowers next to him and his mood completely changed. "I love these flowers…" He reached over and plucked out a small, blue flower.

"This one looks kinda like you."

Riku frowned. "What? A flower? Looks like me?" He laughed skeptically. "I don't know whether I should feel complimented… or insulted."

Sora smiled. "Complimented, definitely."

Riku smiled back. "Okay. I'm not going to ask how."

There was a small pause in which neither of them spoke. Finally: "What were you drawing?"

Sora glanced down at the sketchpad. "Uhm. You don't want to see this."

"Come on, show me!" Riku laughed. "It can't be… that… bad…" He trailed off as his eyes met the page of scribbled lines and colors.

"…Wow. Uh, it's really… good…"

A pause.

" …What is it?"

Sora sighed. "It's supposed to be Tidus and Selphie. See?"

He pointed to a yellow and brown spot on the page—presumably the two teens respective hair colors--, and two pairs of eyes—blue and green--peeking out from beneath.

Riku studied it a little while longer, until his eyes picked up the little pink and red hearts flowing off of the two. "Those two like each other, don't they?"

Sora nodded solemnly. "Yeah. But Tidus is going out with Yuna now."

Riku winced. "Poor Selphie."

Sora nodded sadly. "Yeah… she's seems all perky and happy-go-lucky, but when that girl falls, she falls _hard_."

Riku raised an eyebrow, before taking a pen out of his front pocket, clicked it twice so the tip projected out, and started scribbling on his arm.

"…Uhm. Riku…? Whatcha doing?"

Riku raised one eye to look at Sora while the other was still concentrated on his arm and the pen(which Sora never thought was physically possible). Sora found the overall effect to be creepy and overall, silencing.

"That was… a good line. I'm including it in my book."

Sora blinked. "What book?"

Riku frowned, crossing something out on the pale skin and rewriting it. "I'm writing a book. I'm an author." He replied absently.

"There. OK? Read it."

Sora found it rather disconcerting to read off of someone else's arm.

"Okay… so what's your book about?" Sora propped his elbows on his knees, and settled in comfortably.

"Well… It's called _Paperthin_."

Sora's eyes widened. "Oh my God! I've heard of you before! Riku Minami, right? You're like, almost-famous!"

Riku nodded. "I've only written one book before-"

"And my mom read it." Sora finished.

Riku sighed. "I'm just… I'm not that famous," he admitted modestly.

Sora rolled his eyes. "God. I can't believe I never knew you were… you know… like a celebrity or something. So what's your new book about?"

Riku chuckled nervously. "Uh, you see, that's kinda the problem…"

"Oh come on… I won't tell anyone… the whole secret thing… I swear, well, I'll tell my mom, but otherwise I-"

"No, no, not that," Riku held up a hand. "Just like… I don't _know _what it's about."

Sora stared blankly. "…Huh?"

"Yeah. See… I haven't… written anything for it yet."

Blue eyes widened incredulously. "That's… That's impossible! I mean, it's coming out in like… a few months!"

Riku frowned. "Yeah. I know. And I haven't written a single word yet."

Sora was silent for a few seconds, before shaking his head. "That's messed up, you know?"

Riku tsked. "Yeah. I know."

They were silent for a while, Sora's mind still racing. _Riku Minami _was the one that had been dropping by to visit him on an almost daily basis?

Sora grinned. "Come on, let's turn on the radio. It's over there." He pointed towards one dusty corner where a black boom box rested.

"…Okay, sure." Riku rose easily to his feet and padded across the linoleum.

"What station…?"

"Dunno, whatever, I don't care- This one! Hey, I love this song!" Sora's face split into a grin. "You know it? It's by… Mae, I think."

_Say anything, but say what you mean, when you whisper you want this…  
_

Riku blinked. "…Yeah. I know it. Suspension, right? My girlfriend's a total sucker for this band."

Sora's head tilted. "Whose your girlfriend? Probably someone famous, right?"

Riku laughed. "Kairi? Famous? She really wishes. She can totally sing, even if she doesn't think so."

Sora grinned. "Kairi, huh? I want to meet her someday. She sounds really cool."

…_Your eyes tell the same…_

"Yeah, I guess she is. I thought you were getting out today."

Sora shrugged. "Yeah, I guess, but they said that last week. And the week before…"

…_We are gaining speed…_

"Sora, I-"

Riku frowned, as Sora's body suddenly went rigid.

"Sora…?"

…_I can barely breathe…_

"Sora?"

Riku rushed forward as Sora started shaking. "O-Oh my God! Sora!"

The brunette fought for breath, leaning over the side of his bed.

"It's… a seizure…" Sora rasped, glancing up at Riku through his heavy curtain of chocolate bangs. "Go and… find a nurse…"

"W-What? But you're- you're like, w-what should I do?"

But Sora wasn't going to give him any answers. The brunette's face was scrunched up in pain, and violent tremors racked his body.

Riku hesitated, and, sparing only one last glance back at the brunet, turned and dashed down the hallway to get help.

…_Cause I'm caught in suspension…_

**P A R T S E V E N** - S E I Z U R E

"Surgery is too big, Bill, I don't think-"

"Anne, come on. This is Sora, and as much as I hate the idea, I think-"

"That he still has a chance! He's fought this long, he can wait a little longer…"

The two stopped whispering as a nurse approached them. "Thank you for waiting. We got the test results… …And we wish to hold him another week."

The woman's, face fell, and the father, Bill, let out a long sigh. "…Okay. But why-"

"Nurse! Nurse! Sora, in room 301, he's having a seizure! Now! Hurry!"

The two parents glanced up, alarmed, at the silver-haired boy, frantically waving at them.

He looked familiar to her, she thought, but that was pushed away as the pair leapt to their feet.

"Again?" She breathed, biting her lip in worry. She clutched her purse tighter.

The grey-blue door looked imposing and foreign to her, but she pushed it open anyway. Sora was thrashing on the bed, his skin as white as the bedsheets. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes were clenched tightly shut in pain.

"Uhn…"

"Sora? Sora!" She frowned, peering down over him. "Again, again…" She breathed. "That's twice in a month…!"

Riku stood away from the throng of nurses and the worried family, leaning against the doorway to Sora's room. No one noticed when Riku Minami quietly slipped away, and Sora's mother never noticed the silver-haired angel that seemed so familiar to her.

**P A R T E I G H T** - J U K E B O X

"This sucks shit being stuck in here every day with you, you know that?" Cloud grumbled.

Leon rolled his eyes, but refrained from commenting.

"Ugh. Don't you ever talk?"

"Yes. I talk."

Cloud sighed again, before he dunked his sponge in the bucket of water again. "You should have just let it go. Trepe hates it when kids talk back to her."

Leon shrugged.

Cloud growled. "God! Say something!"

"…Fuck."

Blue eyes glowered, and Cloud swiped viciously at the board.

…_Say anything, but say what you mean…  
_

Cloud blinked. "I know that song…" He muttered to himself. He glanced around, trying to spot where it was coming from.

His eyes settled on a small jukebox in the corner of the classroom. He frowned.

Getting up, he leaned over the teacher's desk. _Mrs. Gallahger: Music Teacher._

Ah, no wonder there was a jukebox in this room. Cloud straightened and walked over towards it. Sure enough, it was on, but the volume was turned down very low. He'd probably only heard it because he had moved closer towards that corner of the room.

Reaching for the volume knob to turn it up, his hand was slapped away. He blinked, and was greeted with the stormy grey eyes of Leon.

"Don't touch that," the brunette snapped.

Cloud glared. "Why not?" He demanded. He reached for the knob and cranked it all the way up to full volume.

…_When you whisper you want this…_

"Because," Leon growled, "Someone will hear, and we'll get in even more shit."

Cloud shrugged. "So? Since when did you care?"

…_Your eyes tell the same… _

Leon heaved a long, exasperated sigh. "Since I started spending detention with _you_," he spat.

Cloud frowned. "…Whatever," he mimicked.

Leon gave him a look, before turning the volume back down.

"Hey."

The brunette turned and was faced with a headful of golden hair and bright blue eyes.

"Don't just give me glares and think that's enough," Cloud snarled, eyebrows set straight downwards.

"…" He turned to walk away.

His silence seemed to enrage the blonde further.

"Goddamnit!" He hissed, hand going to clench around Leon's wrist. "Why can't you just **_say something_**?"

_ ...we are gaining speed..._

"I don't have anything to say to you," Leon replied. His eyes flickered down to where Cloud's hand was still grabbing onto him.

"Let go of me." Leon deadpanned.

"No," Cloud replied, more cheerfully this time. His lips were stretched upwards in a happy smirk.

Leon's eyes moved over to the boy's face. He was so close that he could count to freckles on the blonde's nose.

He could feel Cloud's breath ghosting over his neck, since the blonde was a good few inches shorter than himself.

_...I can barely breathe... _

Leon felt Cloud's grip on his wrist loosen.

And besides…

How hard would it be to just close the distance between them?

_...cause I'm caught in suspension..._

**AN - I likee the songss in Aladdin. **

**Ahemm. A WHOLE NEW WORLD... something about a diamond skyy. ****:3**

**Hehh, this took a while. Sorryy. :) And... holyy crap, its pouriing out. OO I should shut downn the computerr... > **

** Blehh. I forgot howw I siigned these thiings. Did I siign them...? **


End file.
